Some methods of stereoscopic image and video capture, sometimes referred to as “three-dimensional” (3-D) imaging, use two or more image sensors to capture a scene. Each image sensor captures the scene from a slightly different angle according to the amount of spacing between the image sensors.
In the case of stereoscopic video, good results may be obtained when the frames captured by each image sensor are synchronized. Lack of synchronization between frames may result in a loss of perceived depth, that is, loss of the 3-D effect. Visual cues may become confused if an object's location is seen as different between the left and right views at the time of capture.
Commercially available image sensors are typically packaged with a sensor controller. Precise timing of integration start and stop times for each pixel and other low-level timing are controlled by the image sensor controller and/or by logic within the image sensor itself. The sensor controller operates as an interface between the image sensor and system control logic such as a system processor. An the image sensor controller may receive sensor timing parameter setup instructions from the system control logic and provide status and synchronization signals and information back to the system.
Some stereoscopic imaging systems may use image sensors designed for monocular imaging. Control logic associated with such image sensors may not provide for synchronization of frames from multiple image sensors. The absence of multi-sensor frame synchronization may result in unacceptable stereoscopic video quality as described above.